1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital telecommunications system, and more particularly, to a digital television (DTV) transmitter and a method of coding data in the DTV transmitter. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for modulating a digital television signal to a vestigial side band (VSB) mode and transmitting and receiving the VSB modulated digital television signal.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Since the second half of 1998, the United States of America has adopted an advanced television systems committee (ATSC) 8T-VSB transmission method as the 1995 standard for broadcasting. Presently, the Republic of Korea is also providing broadcast programs by adopting the ATSC 8T-VSB transmission method as the standard for broadcasting. Accordingly, experimental broadcasting began in May 1995, and a test-broadcasting system began on Aug. 31, 2000.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional ATSC 8T-VSB transmitting system. A data randomizer randomizes MPEG video/audio data that are inputted. A Reed-Solomon (RS) encoder RS-codes data so as to add a 20-byte parity code. A data interleaver interleaves the data. A trellis encoder converts the data from bytes to symbols and, then, trellis-encodes the converted data. A multiplexer (MUX) multiplexes a symbol column and synchronization signals, and a pilot inserter adds a pilot signal to the symbol column. A VSB modulator converts the symbol column to an 8VSB signal of an intermediate frequency bandwidth. And, a radio frequency (RF) converter converts the VSB-converted signal to a RF bandwidth signal and transmits the RF bandwidth-converted signal to an antenna.
The 8T-VSB transmission mode, which is adopted as the standard for digital broadcasting in North America and the Republic of Korea, is a system that has been developed for the transmission of MPEG video/audio data. However, presently, the technology for processing digital signals is being developed at a vast rate, and, as a larger number of the population uses the Internet, digital electric appliances, computers, and the Internet are being integrated. Therefore, in order to meet with the various requirements of the users, a system that can add video/audio data through a digital television channel so as to transmit diverse supplemental information needs to be developed.
Some users may assume that supplemental data broadcasting would be applied by using a PC card or a portable device having a simple in-door antenna attached thereto. However, when used indoors, the intensity of the signals may decrease due to a blockage caused by the walls or disturbance caused by approaching or proximate mobile objects. Accordingly, the quality of the received digital signals may be deteriorated due to a ghost effect and noise caused by reflected waves. However, unlike the general video/audio data, when transmitting the supplemental data, the data that is to be transmitted should have a low error ratio. More specifically, in case of the video/audio data, errors that are not perceived or acknowledged through the eyes or ears of the user can be ignored, since they do not cause any or much trouble. Conversely, in case of the supplemental data (e.g., program execution file, stock information, etc.), an error even in a single bit may cause a serious problem. Therefore, a system highly resistant to ghost effects and noise is required to be developed.
The supplemental data are generally transmitted by a time-division method through the same channel as the MPEG video/audio data. However, with the advent of digital broadcasting, ATSC VSB digital television receivers that receive only MPEG video/audio data are already supplied to the market. Therefore, the supplemental data that are transmitted through the same channel as the MPEG video/audio data should not influence the conventional ATSC VSB receivers that are provided in the market. In other words, this may be defined as ATSC VSB compatibility, and the supplemental data broadcast system should be compatible with the ATSC VSB system. Herein, the supplemental data may also be referred to as enhanced data or E-VSB data. Furthermore, in a poor channel environment, the receiving quality of the conventional ATSC VSB receiving system may be deteriorated. More specifically, resistance to changes in channels and noise is more highly required when using portable and/or mobile receivers.